Gripping tool



July 11, 1950 a. G. HANSON ETAL GRIPPI NG TOOL Filed Sept. 2, 1948 QZ-Zorrngys:

Patented July 11, 1950 GRIPPING TOOL George G. Hanson and Harold It. Hanson,-

Bradford, Pa.; .7

Application September 2, 1948 Serial vThis invention relates to improvements in tools or implements for gripping rods, tubes or the like to hold the same against lengthwise movement in one direction relatively to the tool or implement. Devices of this kind may, for examplebe used as fishing tools for removing sucker rods, drill rods or the like from wells.

One of the objects of this invention is to pro- .vide a gripping tool or implement of this type of improved and simplified construction which is reliable in its action and efiicient in operation.

ola ms. zrcrzariozy Y Another object of this invention is to provide a gripping tool of this type of improved construction which may be used in connection with rods or tubes of a number of different diameters.

A'further object isto provide a gripping tool of this type including a ball carrier on which balls are arranged in such a manner as to be kept in operative relation to the ball carrier when the same is removed from the shell or body portion of the tool.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a central sectional elevation of a gripping tool embodying this invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional elevations thereof, respectively on lines 2-2 and 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, central, sectional elevationsimilar to that shown in Fig. l, but in from the following description and which-the ball carrier has been reversed for cooperation with rods of difierent diameter.

Our'improved grippingtool, one embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, includes an outer, hollow, cylindrical shell or tubular body portion or member 1 within which a ball carrier 8 is arranged to slide vertically therein.' This shell or body member has the inner bore thereof formed with a substantial-" ly'cylindrical inner surface 9 which terminates at its lower end in an inner surface H! of frusto conical or'tapering form converging toward the lower end of the body member. The lower end of the frusto conical bore of the body member terminates in an outwardly flaring or bell-shaped lower end ll formed so that it wi1l,upon engaging an end of arod, guide this end of the rod toward the verticalaxis of the body member, so'thats'uch rod will enter the body portion.

The upper end of the bodyportion is removably' secured to a connector or head M in any suitable manner, for example, the upper end of the body member maybe internally screw threade'd to 00- j operate -with a corresponding external screw thread formed on the lower part-of the connector or head'lj L'theupper end of which is threaded as shown at 15, for couplin with a correspondingly threaded part of a-suitablehandle or handling tube'o'r rod -(not shown), by means of which the tool may be manipulated. For example, the tool wheriused'as a fishing tool may be lowered into and'raised out of awell casing by means of the" handling tube orrodl The connector 0r head I 4 may be of anysuitable' or desired construction adapting it to 'be securely attached to the upper end of the tubular body member 1.

The ball' carrier 8 is also of tubular form having an interior bo're formed to receive the rods; tubes or the like which are to be gripped, and in the'preferred construction of this carrier, it has an inner bore l5 oi a diameter capable of oper-' ating on rods or tubes of one size, and'another inner bore l1 which, in the construction illus-' trated, is of greater diameter than the bore l6 and is capable of operating on rods or tubes of larger'diamet'er. Each bore is approximately of half the length of theball carrier.

its ends with a substantially cylindrical portion [8 capable of cooperating with the cylindrical bore 9 of the tubular-body portion in such a way that the ball carrier may slide within the body 3 member. The cylindrical portion l8 terminates at its opposite ends intwo tapering or frustoconical outer portions l9 and '20," the taper of" which corresponds approximately to the internal taper ill of the body portion 1. Consequently,

the ends of the ball carrier are'of smaller diameter than the middle cylindrical portion.

In order to enable the tool to grip a rod or tube, 1 the walls of the tapering'portions of the ball carrier are provided with a plurality of radially ex tending holes or cylindrical ball-receiving apertures22 and 24, the apertures 22 being formed to loosely receive balls 25 and the apertures 24 being formed to cooperate with balls 21. The holes 22 are arranged in an annular zone in the taper ing portion IQ of the ball carrier, and the holes 24 are arranged in an annular Zone in the tapering portion 20 of the ball carrier. The balls 25 and 2'! are of such diameters that theballs will extend beyond the oppos ite ends of the holes in which theyare located. "Consequently, since the thickness of the wall of the ball carrie is greater at the portion l9 thereof which has'the smaller diameter bore It, the balls 25 are of larger die The balls are capable of movement toa limited extent lengthwise or the apertures 22 and 24, so that'in any position ameter than the balls'21.

On the exterior, the ball carrier is formed intermediate of of these balls in their apertures they may project into the bores l6 and I! and also beyond the tapering surfaces [9 and 20. The ends of the apertures 22 and 24 are restricted for the purpose of limiting the extent to which the balls may move lengthwise of these apertures. These restrictions may be formed in any suitable or desired manner. For example, in the construction illustratedfrthe apertures gz and 24; are formed by drilling radia'lly' throug'h the -wall of'the ball carrier and stopping the drilling before the drill has passed completely through the aperture, so that the inner portion of each aperture will-be of slightly less diameter than the diameter of the ball which fits into the same. Atter the hair: has been inserted into the aperture, the outer end of the aperture may be reducedin any..suitable manner to prevent the ball from passing outwardly completely through the outer end oi-the aperture. This may, for:; example, be done by foroingzthe, metal otlthewballi carrier inwardly towardlthe gaperture, for restricting: the :same. For examnlemt-his may :bGersdOHB .rby deforming; the mfitalitofwthelball --,c-arrier vat-intervals about the aperture (by imeansmfl a prick 'punch or other sharp implement-to; iormrindentations 29 in the ball-narr-ier in elosa roximityto the apertureso that? he Pmetal at: the outerlend of the aperture will be foroedetowardrthetaxisrofr thetaperture-by thissnunching qperation to; a sufficient extent to, prevent the ball .-;trom -passinglveompletely .out-vof the aperture.

IFhe' ballv carriemis. yieldmglympressed! toward thee]owerfiend -of the tubular body member Ir-in any suitable manner, tfor example, by means of a z260i1fi'iSpI llF-lg 30A 0218 end-20f which .may- --bear against the upper end of; the ball carrier-sthrough themediumef amapon col1ars32 havingadownwardi y extendingwfiange 33 which fits over the adjacent end ot the balllearrier. The collar mayalso bei-providedvwith a-flange- 34 of 1 smallerdiamet er -Which fits rintosthe endaof the -coilspring 4 for will be guided into the bores l6 and H respectively of the ball carrier.

In the use of the device, if a rod is to be gripped which will fit into the bore 16 of the carrier, then the carrier is arranged in the body member 1 as shown in Fig. 1, with the bore It at the lower end of the ball carrier, A rod or tube may then readily be inserted into the bore l6, and when the samdha'sjipa'sszdbeyond ithe'ilaalls zit-these balls will grip the rod or tube and preventwithdrawal g of the same. The rod or tube may, of course, be released from the gripping device by releasing the pultnrr the same and moving the ball carrier inwardly against the action of the spring 39 by a serewd ii-venor':other implement, whereupon the 30. The upperendot-the.eoilxspringimay extend 1 into (the reeessrfi Ehin the :connectoreor: head l l.

Inqth-is manrrer the :spri'n iisecentered with rreference to therbody-portion.

LAS"Wi11l beenoted i in Figs 1' and- .4; .therouterwperipheryzgofq thereollanE-Z extends'into :close-pro-X- imity. to the" inner eylindrical bore t ofthe tubu larebo dy member :1. wConsequently, the collar 00- operatesewith'the ballecanrienin such amanrreras toihold the ball ca'mier' loesely K ins approximately coaxialrelation Wl'bhgthBebOdYvPOlltiOh: and prevents tilting. ofthesballacarrier-withim the body p r ion to sueh an extent vasetozcause aaimmingv or Wedgingwf: theballncar-riersin :the. body .1 por tion. 'the collar, -howewernfits-.-looselysenough-on the;- ball narrier andawithin theibody member I so that the: ball: carrier may milt to a slight extent tto enablewit to better: grasp the *rod 'to --be-- gripped. Ehe-collar;+therefore;serves the twofold purpose ofiorminga-eonnergtion betweenthe springs-and the ball "carrier andiof -h01dingthe ball ecarrier: in approximately coaxial relation with-i ythe tubular-body i rPOibiOIl. The collar; is formedsto :fit either-wand: of the ball *ca-rrien-so that- I the zlatter imaywbei reversed if desired; as shownyinEige 4. a

The opposite --endsof-s"the 'ball -carrier are also preferably provided :With? inwardly r converging, frusto-eonieal or belly-shaped-lfaces 31 and 3 8- so as 'to --f-aeilitate the inSeIti0n!-0f a rod intothe gripping tool. :This monstruction is=.particularly desirable when'the grippingtool is ,used as a-fishing elevicaeins that (the rochwhich is being fished-- ""rodor tube may readily be Withdrawn from the ggrippingiteol. when the device is used for fishing a rod from a Well and is lowered into a Well to engage the end of the rod which is being fished for, this rod will be guided by the frustoconical orxbelle'shapediifaces =11 and Slisihto ithe' bore 16,

and zupenmenga'gin the lower'balls'i 2,5;"will :force will tend to roll downwardlyninto :thetta-pering' bore-ail Ehzotithe body; portionxby the=acti0rroi the spring Silt-and by'efiriction'al-engagement withzthe rod, and wlllithns be forced by awedge'action' into gr pp gz en agement with thez-rod, 'so that upon: raising: thergripping'tool," the roclwill :be carriedmpw ardiy with :thesame.

Ifzthe ;grippingntoolr'isjatoi'be'used-with;a rod 40 of larger,:diameterewhich cannot-renter the bore l6,'but whiehtcanrenterihe'r bore =1] then itheztubulan-bodymember TilSllll'l-SCIIEWEG from-the conhector or head dfinwhereupon the springcthe'follower (Strand thabalt carrier-"8' are removed from 40 lthabody; membe'rand the: ball carrier iswreve'rsed end for end, so that the bore ll thereof is lo'wermost. i'El'l6fb1l0WBI' andsprin'g: are replaced and th'erbody pontien E15 again secured to the connector or head Id. The parts will then be in the position illustrated in nEig;ei-lwhereupcn thesame procedure may be; followed for'gripping "the end of the rod 40.

5560221136101 :the' #fact that-the metal wall of the ball oarriersbetweenwithebore ll; and the outer =surface-thereof is -less thick than between the bore Brand the; outersurface-fthe; balls; flare of smallensd'rameterthan the balls :25. [If :deemed necessary? a larger .number 0?. small balls -25 may be proVided.-,-four'being showninthe construction l,illustratedsandwthree of the largertballsfil. It will --be;-lobv-ious,- -h'oWever;-- that any desired number of hallsmaybe provided at either end of the ball'carrier.

Sincesthe-rod which is "beingfished for may be located below the level :of the liquid :-in the-well casing,- -one-:or*:m0reapertures- 42 are preferably end hf the (rod which sis sbeing fished .for: into a bore ot-the ball carrier.

The-device described has the advantage that it may-beireadily adapted for u'se in gripping ro'ds When .-it :becomes necessary -.to

of various sizes.

inverttheloall carrier to enable the sameto-eooperate -witheav -rod,:this can-easily bedone as described; by inverting-the ball carrier inthebody pOrtiOnand-When theballcarrienis removed-from v -75z;:the,-body portiomtheballs willberetained, in their ,into the well casing-,3 and duringsthe entrywoflthe holes or apertures in the ball carrier by the restrictions in the openings of these holes so that loss of the balls is avoided. If a ball becomes broken or otherwise damaged, it can be readily removed by again enlarging the Outer end of the hole in which the broken or damaged ball is located and a new ball maybe inserted, Whereupon the outer end of the aperture may again be contracted by means of a prick punch or other implement.

The term rod is herein used to indicate any article, such as a rod, tube, stud or thelike which is to be equipped by means of the gripping tool herein described.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts 'which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A rod gripping tool comprising a hollow cylindrical body member having an inner cylindrical bore terminating at its lower end in a tapering downwardly converging bore, a ball carrier arranged in said body member and having an axially extending bore, a part of said bore extending from approximately the middle of said ball carrier to one end thereof being of larger diameter than the part of said bore terminating at the other end thereof, the upper and lower portions of said ball carrier having external surfaces tapering toward the opposite ends thereof to enable either end of said ball carrier to enter ber, and yielding means for urging said ball carrier partly into the lower portion of said body member.

2. A rod gripping tool comprising a hollow cylindrical body member having an inner cylindrical bore terminating at its lower end in a tapering downwardly converging bore, a ball carrier arranged in said body member and having an axially extending bore, a part of said bore extending from approximately the middle of said ball carrier to one end thereof being of larger diameter than the part of said bore terminating at the other end thereof, said ball carrier having an intermediate portion of substantially cylindrical periphery and having frusto-conical end portions with surfaces converging from said cylindrical periphery toward the opposite ends of said ball carrier, said frusto-conical end portions corresponding approximately to the tapering bore in said body member so that either end of said ball carrier may enter said tapering bore of said body member, an annular series of radially extending apertures in each end portion of said ball carrier, balls in said holes and movable radially therein, said balls being of sufiicient size 50 that portions thereof extend outwardly beyond the opposite ends of said holes, restrictions at the ends of said holes to prevent said balls from passing entirely out of said holes when said ball carrier is removed from said body member, and means for yieldingly urging said ball carrier toward the bottom of said body member.

3. A gripping tool comprising a hollow cylindrical body member having an inner cylindrical bore terminating at its lower end in a tapering downwardly converging bore, a ball carrier arranged in said body member and having an axially extending bore, a part of said bore extending from approximately the middle of said ball carrier to one end thereof being of larger diameter than the part of said bore terminating at the other end thereof, the upper and lower portions of said ball carrier having external surfaces tapering toward the opposite ends thereof to enable either end of said ball carrier to enter said tapering bore of said body member, said ball carrier having an annular series of radially extending holes in each of said parts, balls arranged in said holes and of such diameter as to simultaneously extend beyond both ends of said holes, means confining said balls against movement en- F tirely out of said-holes, said ball carrier being reversible so that either end thereof may be arranged at the lower portion of said body member, a collar having a flange fitting about the upper end of said ball carrier, and a spring pressing against said collar for urging said ball carrier toward the lower end of said body member. 4. A gripping tool according to claim 3, in which said collar is of an outer diameter fitting loosely into said cylindrical portion of said body member, and in which said flange extends around the upper part of the ball carrier, said collar cooperating with said ball carrier to hold said ball carrier in approximately axial relation to said body member and preventing binding of said ball carrier in the bore of said body member.

GEORGE G. HANSON. HAROLD R. HANSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,031,637 Fischer July 2, 1912 1,829,760 Santiago Nov. 3, 1931 Certificate of Correction Patent Nb. 2,514,760

} July 11, 1950 ,1 A GEORGE G. HANSON ET AL. It is hereby ce gifiodifitha pg nog 'apfiofi r iih the prinfied specificatiog of the-above numbered paoen't roqilii ilgnorreofilon as follows:

tti s P tjiit should o'readoslooireoted above, so thafi' th "si i fi d f the case imthe Pofint Ofiioe.

h d of OCtObGliA D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Gammz'ssz'oner of Patents.

Qgzlls '27; lino 55, for balls 27 read 

